Birmingham City Council has shortlisted two hotel operators for a development site on the outskirts of the National Exhibition Centre.
The council has also opened up a second 2.4ha (5.9 acre) site for a larger, four-star hotel operation and invited submissions of interest.
Operators such as Holiday Inn and Sheraton have been keen to set up new hotels in the West Midlands and Whitbread acquired a city centre site on Broad Street last year to open a Travelodge budget hotel.
On the budget hotel site, the two operators have been asked to submit proposals for a 150-bed development to the north-east of the NEC, close to Arlington’s Birmingham Business Park.
“A number of schemes submitted by national hotel groups were considered and we have put the top two bidders head-to-head. The site will be awarded after a further round of bidding with a decision likely at the end of September,” confirmed Peter Jones, assistant director of Birmingham Property Services, the council’s estate agency arm.
The prestige hotel site is on the south side of the NEC’s Pendigo Lake. According to Jones, more hotel beds are needed because of the expansion of the NEC.
EGi News 29/08/97
